Wardrobe steamer trunk



Nov. 17, 1925. 1,561,486

. J. A. RIORDAN v WARDROBE STEAMER TRUNK Filed April 29. 1925 2 heets-Sheet l 6 I7 I 5 I 4&1;

I'M/won J05. A. Riordan,

H/5 ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1925- 1,561,486

I J. A. RIORDAN WARDROBE, STEAMER TRUNK Filed April 29. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' IE og.2.

lwmron 15 H15 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNETED; PATENT JOSEPH A. 0F HARRISON, NEW JERSEY.

STE AMER TRUNK.

Application filed 4 m 29, 1925. Serial No. 26,594.

To all whom it may come m:

Be it known that I, JosnrH A. RIQRDAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resi dent of Harrison, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Wardrobe Steamer Trunk, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to wardrobe steamer trunks. f

The type of wardrobe trunk that is most popular and is largely used among the traveling public of today is bulky and cumbersome. It is impossible to get a trunk of this character in the average stateroom on a steamer. The result of this is that the trunk is brought to the door of the stateroom and the passenger must hurriedly remove the contents of the drawers of the trunk into the space that is provided for them in the stateroom, thuscausing a lot of trouble and confusion as this must be done before the ship starts on its cruise. Very often the space in the stateroom-is inadequate for the contents of the trunk and the trunk must therefor be removed to the hold of the ship with a large part of the owners belongings in it. More annoyance and trouble then ensues when the owner wishes to get at his trunk. More or less of this same thing would apply in hotels, particularly where the rooms are small. The trunk is bulky and unsightly and it would very often be a great advantage if the trunk cou d bedisposed of temporarily without having to empty the drawers of their contents, or preferably by leaving the drawers and contents in the hotel room. Obviously it would not be practical to have the -loose drawers scattered about the room.

The object" 'ofth'e present invention is to overcome these difliculties of the traveling public. The series of drawers which ordinarily fill one half of the Wardrobe trunk are, according to this invention, housed in a removable frame. This frame is arranged so as to be in sliding contact with the walls of the trunk in which it is housed and in this way would waste practically no extra space in the trunk and would not in any way detract from the appearance of the trunk.

lVhen the trunk with its removable frame is brought on board ship or to a room in a hotel the frame carrying all the drawers may readily be removed and stowed under the berth or in any convenient place and the trunk stored away until needed again.

Thus a lot of trouble and considerableannoyance is saved.

Further advantages of my improved construction will be brought out in the following specification and illustrated in the drawings accompanying same and forming a part thereof.

Referring to said drawings: 7

Fig. l is a front elevation of a wardrobe steamer trunk, showing my invention therein thetrunkbeing in its open position,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig.

The other half 6 of the trunk is ordi-.

narily provided with shelves or compart ments for drawers. In accordance with the present invention a reindvable frame 9,best illustrated in Fig. 3, is housed in this half of the trunk. Thi removable frame has a series of shelves or guides 10 for the draw ers 11 and is provided with apair of handles 12so as to assist in readily removing the frame from the trunk. A locking bar 13 which may be of any well known construction keeps the drawers locked in place when they are not inuse.

Each of the corners of the half of the trunk in which the frame 9 is housed is provided with a reinforcing beveled corner block 14 secured in place by rivets 15 (see Fig. 4:) or any other desired means. The corner blocks 14 have longitudinal grooves or keyways 16, preferably extending their entire length.

Each of the corners of the removable frame 9 is slabbed off as at 17 and has a key 18 formed integral with or secured to the slabbed off portions 17. These keys 18 cooperate'with the keyways 16 in the corner blocks ldythus providing means for supporting the frame in the trunk and for facilitating the easy removal or insertion of the or cumbersome to handle.

frame into the trunk. The corner blocks ll also form an ideal reinforcement for strengthening the trunk at its corner portions.

As previously explained the frame 9 substantially fills the part of the trunk in which it is inserted and by virtue of the slabbed otl corners engaging the beveled faces of the corner blocks is in sliding contact with the trunk body.

As indicated a very slight clearance may be allowed between the walls of the trunk and the Walls of the frame so as to compen sat-e for any distortion of the trunk body and make it easier to withdraw or insert the frame. The removable frame may be built of any suitable material and when in place in the trunk in cooperation with the reinforcing corner blocks tends to add considerable strength to the trunk itself and thus help it to withstand the very rough usage that trunks of this description are likely to be subjected to.

Innumerable different occasions will arise when it would be a great advantage to have the trunk stored way and only the removable frame containing the drawers at hand. As previously explained the frame and drawers may easily be stowed away under the berth in a stateroom on a ship or if kept on hand in a hotel room would take less than half the space the complete trunk would occupy and would not be unsightly The removable frame in reality forms a trunk within a trunk and when the frame is removed from the trunk proper it occupies about the same amount of space as the flat trunk ordinarily known as a steamer trunk.

It is well known by applicant that trays of all sorts and descriptions with and without drawers have been provided for trunks but applicant believes that no one has provided a trunk of this particular characte that is a wardrobe trunk made in two halves, one half of which has a solid substantial frame carrying the drawers and acting as a separate trunk, the frame being in sliding contact with the walls of the half of the trunk in which it is housed and completely filling this half. Applicant is also aware that numerous types of convertible trunks and chests have been made in which parts of them are either hinged or in sliding relation to the main part of the trunk or chest but it is believed that none of these various constructions were designed for or would be adequate to provide for the particular purpose of applicants invention.

From the foregoing it is thought that the description and operation of the inventimi will be clear and it is desired to call attention to the fact that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts might be made by a mechanic skilled in the art Without departing froin the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I desire to claim as new is:

1. A removable container for a wardrobe trunk, said container completely filling one half of the trunk so as to be in sliding con tact with the walls of the half of the trunk in which it is housed and having a series of drawers exending substantially the entire depth of the container.

2. A removable container for a wardrobe trunk, said container completely filling one half of the trunk, means at the corner edges of the container for guiding it when being moved into or out of the trunk and for keeping it in sliding contact with that part of the trunk in which it is housed and a set of drawers completely filling said container.

3. A removable container for a wardroli-c trunk, said container completely filling one half of the trunk, slabbe-d off corner portions on said container, said portions being adapted to engage reinforcing corner blocks in the part of the trunk in which the container is housed in order that the container will be in sliding contact with the walls oi the half of the trunk in which it is housed and a series of drawers in the container. said drawers extending substantially the full depth of the container.

J OS. A. RIORDAN. 

